


Across the Realms

by StarWillows



Category: D.Gray-man
Genre: AU, Adventure, Allen is a nine-tailed fox, Also a modern au forgot to add, Alternate Universe, But id be so grateful if you read this anyway, Demon, Demons, Eventual Romance, F/M, I hope you like it, LENALEE WHY ARE YOU STUPID YOU DO NOT JUST FOLLOW SOMEONE INTO SOME MYSTERIOUS PORTAL, Lenalee has spiritual powers, Love, Need to work on plot/character writing, Otherworldly, Past minor character death, Romance, Spirit World, Spirits, Yôkai, fluff?, other world, realms
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-20
Updated: 2019-08-20
Packaged: 2020-09-19 02:03:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20323285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarWillows/pseuds/StarWillows
Summary: Once upon a time, there was a girl. A girl with green hair, and kind, benevolent amethyst eyes.Once upon a time there was a fox. A white-haired, nine-tailed fox demon.Now, here in this story the girl and the fox meet. At a festival with bright, colorful lights, both of them get lost in its wonders, and whether it is by chance or by fate, they cross paths. It is somewhat a love story, and if you are interested, then sit, and listen to this tale of romance and magic.





	1. Our First Meeting

Lenalee remembered her first time at a festival like this. It had been a long, long time ago, when she was still a child. She had been with her elder brother, exploring the venue's many marvelous activities, wearing a plain, red yukata very similar to the one she wore now.  
  
Her hair, unlike before when it had been too short, was tied into a bun, two delicate wooden chopsticks placed in the green hair that was hers. As she walked, her wooden sandals hit the pavement while left and right brightly lit stalls with colorful prizes were crowded with chattering people. They seemed to come alive like the paper lanterns hanging comfortably on strings above her, and she smiled as she passed two children, a girl and boy, playing the fishing game for a goldfish or two.

She didn't really know what she was doing here by herself on such a wonderful night as this. The dark sky was littered with millions of gleaming stars and the atmosphere was perfect for someone like her to be out with friends, but alas while everyone was with family or lovers, she had no one to go with as they were all busy with who knows what. She was used to it by now, surely, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt. Being left behind just because of her strange spiritual powers was still saddening. Claiming to see ghosts and spirits - it always estranged her from others, and no matter what she tried the people around her always found out somehow.

She sighed, and again she asked herself what she was doing alone on this beautiful night, but continued to walk on, observing the other joyous faces around her as she explored the festivities.

* * *

Where was he? Was this still the Yokai Realm? It didn't look like it, but that couldn't be right, Allen thought.

He was sure that he had taken the right turn to the Ayakashi's festival, but it appears that he has once again gotten himself lost. Even more confusing was that this festival was being held in both the Human _and_ Yokai realms, so he had no way of knowing in which one he was at as they both looked almost the same. So for now, Allen kept his nine, furry white tails hidden with magic in case he was with the mortals, and made sure to appear human. And if he was indeed in the Other Realm, he could always defend himself should any other being try to eat him.

His white yukata and blue sash matched his equally short, white hair, and as people stared he did not notice because the smell of delicious food quickly distracted him. He licked his lips in hunger, dashing over to one of the okonomiyaki stalls lined along his left side, his original objective already forgotten.

Once he finally got to the front of the stand, the crowded line of people now behind him he excitedly ordered, "Ten sets please!" and left the store with a very happy, paid store owner. He carried the ten carton boxes unsteadily in his two hands, looking both ways for oncoming foot traffic as well as any places nearby, so as not to drop his newly ordered food.

Eventually he spotted an empty bench at the end of the rows of stalls to his right, a metal fence separating it from a small grassy mound with growing flowers. Its dimly lit area was fine with him, and so he quickly made his way to the wooden seat, dodging the arms and bodies of passersby from every side.

He was nearly there after a few more minutes of struggling and careful maneuvering to keep his food and others safe and unmessed, and the chair was only a few feet away, his exhaustion beginning to grow. He sighed in relief, smiling at the thought of finally being able to eat when an _oof!_ and toppling of a box or two of his octopus balls brought him back to reality.

He looked down and saw a girl - a very human-looking one, at that - had fallen onto her butt on the floor, and immediately dropped his layers of cardboard containers to help her up. He bent down, took her hand, and shifted his gaze to find dark emerald eyes staring back at him with surprise, a slight frown on her face.

"S- Sorry," he mumbled, and stood back up, pulling the girl with him. "I didn't mean to spill that all over you and ruin your pretty yukata."

The girl blushed slightly at the word "pretty" and smiled, albeit seeming a little disappointed. "No, no," she said. "I wasn't checking in front of me, so it was my fault." And seeing the food which Allen had dropped in order to help her, she added, "You didn't have to waste all that food, either."

The fox demon returned the smile. "It's alright. It's worth it for a breath-taking lady such as yourself."

She laughed, and it sounded like hundreds of tiny little bells softly chiming in his ears.

"I'm not that pretty," she replied, but he wasn't listening. "I mean, after all..."

Her words went through one ear and out the other as Allen couldn't take his eyes off of her. It was at that instant he knew she was human - no other demon he's ever met has had a wondrous laugh like that, and though as worried as he should be about being in the Mortal Realm he chose to stay, wishing to keep the company of this girl a little while longer.

"And anyway, most people don't like me because of my..." he tuned back in just as she paused, putting a hand to her chin.

"... _uniqueness,_" she finished, uncertain of what he would reply had she told him the truth, Allen assumed. He didn't press her for answers, and thus changed the topic quickly because the girl seemed uncomfortable with the current one.

"Oh, um, since it's my fault you dropped all your food, how about I buy another... one, two, three, four... ten, was it, sets for you?" She asked, beating the yokai to it.

He blushed at having her discover his gluttony, and objected. "It's fine! You really don't need to, since I was daydreaming, sort of, before I bumped into you."

"Ah, here," he said, handing her some napkins he'd received upon remembering her stained clothing. She took it gratefully, and tried to get off as much as she could, gently dabbing the tissue so as not to smear the sauce.

"How about we sit over there, so it's easier?" Allen suggested, gesturing to his original destination and the girl nodded.

They walked over to it and sat down, and Allen realized that he had not yet introduced himself, and so he did. "My name is Allen, by the way," he took another tissue from his pocket and began helping her wipe the stains away. When the two had gotten off what they could, she held out her hand. "It's nice to meet you. My name's Lenalee. Lenalee Lee," and he took it.

When he let go, Lenalee then popped up with another question.

"Well, um, Allen..." she started.

"How come you have a tail?"


	2. Accidentally

She had noticed it for a while. Swishing to and fro from side to side, she knew that there was a big, bushy white tail attached to Allen's back. She assumed at first that it might be her imagination, but even after they had sat down on the bench it was still there, moving around like it was alive and she realized that it was indeed a real tail. She didn't want to say anything yet, in fear that this boy might think her weird for her having spiritual powers, but eventually upon seeing it curl itself into his lap she had to say something, so she had asked him.

"How come you have a tail?"

She watched as he seemed to pale (his skin tone made it hard to tell), and regretted having asked in the first place. At the very least, Lenalee wished to have phrased the question differently.

"O-Oh," he stuttered nervously, frozen in shock. "W-What tail?"

She pointed to the one sitting on his lap. "That one. You don't see it, do you?" She frowned, sighing. "I guess not. Sorry, you must think I'm weird." She pulled back to her original position.

"No, not at all!" He said, "It's fine."

It was quiet after that; an awkward silence was cast over the once comfortable atmosphere.

"Um, well- I have to go now," he suddenly said, gesturing to the path ahead. She nodded, and sighed inwardly once again. Another day, another mistake. Lenalee supposed she must have made things weird, and that now he was leaving because he thought her so. She didn't blame him, of course. It was her fault for saying anything. Why couldn't she just ignore these things? It was at times like this that she really hated her powers.

With a sad smile and regrets in her mind, she waved the boy off as his form retreated into the darkness.

* * *

Great. Just great. Allen didn't realize that Lenalee had spiritual powers, and so now the magic that covered his tails had begun to disappear, and she quickly took note of it. Luckily he was able to cover up his surprise and fool her, but now he was afraid he might've hurt her feelings. It seemed that her powers were the reason for her being alone, so he felt guilty for having bolted just like that. But he couldn't let her find out about the Spirit World. Not only would he get into trouble, but so would Lenalee, and unless she has some sort of way to fight the yokai of his realm, it wasn't good for her to have the knowledge of them _and_ be a human.

The street which Allen walked on he recognized as the way to a portal to the Other Realm, the red clay bricks making up for the floor as trees and potted plants grew on the sides. Slowly, he released the magic on his nine tails as it seemed to be wearing off due to the girl's earlier exposure of them, and majestically they loomed above his back as they moved around elegantly.

"Where was it again...?" Allen wondered aloud, now in his true form as he searched for the door to his destination. He didn't even realize that hiding behind a tree nearby was Lenalee herself, watching curiously as he tentatively took a step forward. The air in front of him rippled in waves like water, and as he walked through it the tiny waves began spreading out over his form.

Slowly, he made his way through it - and then he was gone, into the Spirit World.

* * *

Lenalee didn't mean to follow Allen. She just wanted to call him back and return a handkerchief he had left on the bench, as well as apologize for her sudden inquiry. But as she got closer she saw him reveal the rest of his nine tails, and with a soft gasp she instinctively hid behind a tree. Not only that, but as she observed him she realized he was looking for something, and it didn't appear to be his missing handkerchief.

"Where was it again...?" He mumbled to himself, and once he spotted it she continued to watch in surprise as he stepped through some sort of invisible gate, ripples forming around his body as he disappeared through it.

It was surprising for once, because not in all her life did she ever witness or meet a nine-tailed fox demon, until now. She was stunned by his beauty really, his true form being much more majestic and graceful - although he was already quite breathtaking even without it, with the way he was so kind to her. Even his smile was enough to make her do the same, and she again trailed off topic, absorbed in her thoughts.

When she came back to reality, Lenalee decided that she would try to walk through the gate as well, her curiosity overwhelming her sense of danger. Ignoring the small nagging in the back of her mind she stepped out of the tree's shadow, and moved to stand just a few feet away from where Allen had disappeared. In front of her, all she saw was the path simply stretching off into the horizon, but she knew better and cautiously took one step forward, then another. Nothing yet, it seemed.

It was confusing, actually, because Lenalee had no idea if she'd even be able to pass through it. What if, instead of heading to wherever it is Allen had gone to, she just stayed on this same road? What if the gate was closed? Certainly she'd make a fool of herself if it was either, but proceeded anyway. She wanted to know what exactly was behind that portal, even if it could endanger her life.

Another step and she could feel some sort of presence right there, in the space before her that should have been empty. Her senses were ringing with that feeling of something anonymous and unknown, her gut twisting in that way which revealed that her powers were at work, sensing it vaguely. It was then that she took a deep breath, and prepared herself for a trip to a world that might not be her own.

And Lenalee was right, because as she passed through the portal she found herself surrounded by a colorfully lit area, in a festival very much like the one she had just been in - except instead of being crowded with what should have been humans, there were _yokai_.


	3. Into the Spirit World

An endless black sky covered the view above as no stars seemed to be twinkling, having instead been replaced by the large amount of lights here below. Floating lanterns of all sorts of shapes, sizes and colors gently glided with magic in the cool night breeze, spreading joy and life to the many crowded stalls underneath. It seems that Lenalee had been transported somewhere else - where it was she didn't know, but one thing for sure was that this was no longer the festival she knew of.

She had just gone through the invisible gate to land herself right in the middle of the aisle filled with various yokai, and upon appearing had attracted their many, many hungry stares. Of course, as one would expect she soon found herself surrounded, and with no way out as the demons began closing in.

"Human..."

"I smell fresh meat!"

"A human! A delicious human...!"

Their mumbles slowly grew louder and louder as more attention was attracted to her, and shaking slightly in fear she tried to back away, but was stopped by the counter of a stall. She looked back and was met by a large, red ogre who, carrying a cleaver, violently chopped a wriggling tentacle. She nearly shrieked in surprise, and gulping, Lenalee knew she'd have to find a way out or else she'd end up like that, too.

As she tried to find an empty path among the growing numbers of yokai and ayakashi, she wanted to but couldn't fend them off, afraid that their large, sharp pointed teeth would sink into her flesh if she did. With each step back against the wall they came closer, closer, and closer, and finally the last bits of her hope began to fade away, and she regret having ever come through the portal in the first place.

Lenalee closed her eyes, hating how she was so helpless but accepting her death, and she waited. Waited for the rows and rows of razor-sharp teeth to bite into her, for clawed hands to latch onto her skin, for each demon to rip her to shreds.

But nothing happened.

Instead there was a whirling of air, its loud whoosh filling her ears along with the gasps of a many demons, and tentatively the girl opened one eye. In front of her was the back of a man, his long, dark blue hair tied into a ponytail. He wore a black yukata and with a sword in hand he stood, defending her, it seems, from the greedy yokai.

"Get back," he said menacingly. "_All of you,_ or so help me I will rip you to shreds." His voice was deep and rough, and turning back to face Lenalee, he narrowed his dark eyes threateningly.

"What are you doing here, mortal?" He asked her, and she didn't reply. She didn't know what to say, exactly. If she said she was looking for Allen, they might throw her into whatever prison they had and feed her to the others.

"Well?" He lifted his sword, pointing it to her now. "I don't have all day, so spit it out."

She thought for a moment. What if Lenalee said that it was an accident? That she was just heading towards a festival, and had somehow stumbled upon the wrong one? Maybe then they would let her off the hook, but she wanted to find Allen. She wanted to return his handkerchief, apologize, and see him in his true form because he was beautiful. She was attracted to him, and for some reason she couldn't just let it go, so she decided it was worth the risk.

"I'm looking for someone," she finally stated, calmly. The crowd grew silent, egging her on, but she shut her mouth. The man made no other expression, and brought his blade closer to the girl's chest. "So? You need to leave."

"_Now._" He rumbled, and Lenalee trembled slightly. But gathering her courage, she boldly defied him.

"No," she answered, simple and flat.

The man narrowed his eyes even further. "No?"

"No," she confirmed.

He stayed silent for a second, then decided to grab her arm, yanking her away as the crowds of demons made way for the two. He dragged her along as she clumsily stumbled in an effort to keep up, her wooden sandals making it hard to walk so quickly and unreadily.

"Hey- let- go of me-!" She tried to pull away, but he only gripped her wrist tighter. "Shut up, unless you want to get eaten, woman." He growled, and she effectively kept quiet, not wanting to go through earlier's events again.

He led her towards the spot she had come through originally, and Lenalee frowned at having to return already without seeing Allen again. But nonetheless she didn't fight it, as the man's demeanor was frightening and powerful.

They were only one step away from the portal, and Lenalee held her breath.

But instead of passing through it back to her world, they stayed in that same festival crowded with magic and yokai, and a look of confusion formed on her face. "What...? I thought..." She began, only to be answered with "Shut _up_. Didn't I tell you that already?"

Again she frowned, and from behind him she demanded, "No. I want to know what is going on." The surrounding demons to the sides were all staring at them in curiosity, others with hunger as they noticed the human before them. She was confused, uncomfortable, and lost - so she wanted to know what exactly was happening so she could get away and find Allen.

"You want to know what's going on?" He said, irritated. "Fine," and stopped in the middle of the road, swiftly swept her small body up in his arms, and transformed - yes, actually transformed - into a large, graceful blue dragon the color of his hair. Lenalee had been placed on his back at some point and now she was taken high, high up in the air as he flew towards the night sky, stopping once they were as far from the ground as the top of a skyscraper.

She was too surprised to say anything, her breath having been taken away when she had yelled during their ascent, and now she couldn't afford to look down at the deathly ground below, so she stared at his long, scaly body as it waved gently like the wind.

"_That_ is a festival for _demons_. I'm sure you know that by now," the dragon spoke, and Lenalee jumped. Her heart was racing faster than light and she could barely process the fact that this - this beast was the man she had been dragged by just a minute ago. She was so stunned that she had no words, and he continued.

"If you want to _die_, then go ahead and stay here. But if you want to live, then I suggest you come with me to find the next portal which leads back to your realm, or else you'll be in trouble soon enough."

Lenalee couldn't see his face, and didn't dare to move an inch for fear she would fall. "But... what..." she whispered, out of breath. "I don't understand," she mumbled, and Lenalee heard him grumble something about stupid humans and their lack of understanding.

"What?"

"I said," he repeated, annoyed, "that you humans are so stupid that you don't know the difference between something _safe_ and something _dangerous_. You just think that whatever is unknown is one of the two depending on how you feel about it, and you're always wrong. But you do what you want anyway."

Insulted, Lenalee retorted, "Not always! We do get it right sometimes, you know, if not most of the time." She heard him scoff at that, and he replied, "Really? then why did you come here? Because you were forced to? Because you thought it would be safe?"

She opened her mouth, but closed it again, unable to fight back.

"See. That's why you listen to _me_. You stupid humans and your stupid emotions always get in the way of what should and shouldn't be done, and now you've put yourself in danger because of it."

She huffed, defeated but unaccepting of it. "Won't you at least help me find the person I'm looking for?" She pleaded. "I promise to leave right after, but I have to return something to him."

"No," he said sternly.

"Please?" She asked again.

"I already told you, no." He grit out dangerously, but Lenalee ignored him. "I just need to return this handkerchief to a white-haired boy- I mean, fox- named Allen. Please?"

She sensed him freeze for a minute before resuming his air of indifference.

"Did you say 'Allen'?" He narrowed his eyes.

She tilted her head. "Yes... why?" She asked, curious.

She heard him curse under his breath. "Stupid fox and his stupid..." she didn't catch the last part, and he gave in with a "fine."

"Thank you," she said afterwards, and he clicked his tongue.

"Hold on," he commanded, and the girl obeyed. A few seconds later they were suddenly soaring through the air, so quickly that the view and lights of the festival below them became a blurry streak of bright and dark colors, her hair wrestling furiously with the gale wind as she closed her eyes to shield them from dust and the like. As shocked as she was she tried not to scream, and gripped his scales tighter in an attempt to let out her energy. And with no idea of where they were headed, other than maybe to meet Allen she supposed, she felt both anxiety and excitement make their way into her stomach.

Lenalee wasn't sure how long they flew through the sky like that - maybe ten, twenty minutes, and with the speed they were going at she thought they might have made some progress. But taking a peek to the side she saw that the festival was still there, its numerous stalls and even more yokai and ayakashi bustling about with life, so either they hadn't actually gone that far, or the celebration really did stretch so far into the distance. It must have been the latter, and once more Lenalee was amazed by the Realm of the Demons.

Then slowly, she noticed that the man, currently dragon, had begun to descend, heading towards a large tower painted red. Its roof was traditional, Japanese and temple-like, open windows lit up with bright yellow hues lining almost every part of the walls, save for the bottom-most area where a large, golden double-door awaited them closed. As each second passed they came lower to the ground, the surroundings of the building being a dense and dim forest that acted as if to close the area off from the rest of the world. Silently, she wondered if this was where Allen lived. It was mysterious and somewhat foreboding, but she waved away the thought as they landed onto the grassy earth.

"Get off," came the grumpy voice, and she did so, stepping lightly onto the soft grass in the dark, illuminated slightly by the lights from the windows above. Then the man transformed back into a human, his black yukata being undamaged and his midnight blue hair still in a ponytail. His sword was in its sheath and by his side, and she turned to thank him.

"Thank you, um..." Only now did Lenalee realize that she hadn't gotten the man's name as of yet, but was promptly ignored with a "Tch," as he walked past her towards the front of the building's grand entrance.

Thrice did he knock on its doors, the loud banging seeming to echo throughout the vast forest around them. Then he stopped, waited - but after a minute or so resumed his impatient pounding.

Finally, a few seconds later one of the large doors opened wide, revealing just enough space for a person - namely, Allen.

"Oy, BaKanda," he started with a pissed-off smile, "Can you _please_ not bang on the doors this late at night? Or did that instruction still not get through to your tiny brain the last few, oh, I don't know, _hundred times I said so?_" By the time he finished his forced smile had turned into a scowl, and "BaKanda" glared at him.

"Shut up, beansprout. You've got a visitor."


	4. Hello Again

"Shut up, beansprout. You've got a visitor," he stepped aside to show Lenalee, and immediately she panicked for no reason. She bowed, albeit a little awkwardly, then remembered what she came here for and strolled forward. Taking out the handkerchief in her pocket, she held it in her two hands before the fox demon.

"Here, you left this in the... uh, Human Realm, earlier," she said a little quietly, and when the two froze on-spot she raised an eyebrow.

"Is anything wrong?"

Was there a stain on the handkerchief? She looked at the small, folded cloth in her grasp and checked it for anything unusual. She flipped the red square lined with gold a space before its edges, but upon seeing nothing, confused, brought it closer to her eyes.

"I don't see any marks or something of the sort..." she mumbled, more to herself than to the yokai pair beside her, but opened it and scanned the other areas anyway.

Allen, still surprised by the fact that she had _that_ handkerchief, snapped out of it and smiled politely. "I-It's alright, Lenalee-san," he said, and reached for it. She obliged and returned the cloth to him, which he put into his pocket. "Um, since it's late, how about you come inside?" He suggested.

"Oh, and this jerk over here is BaKanda," he added as an afterthought, gesturing to the *tatsu, then made way for the two to come in. "It is _not,_" he growled, and turned back to Lenalee. "It's _just_ Kanda," and followed Allen into the large building. Laughing a little, Lenalee headed in after them.

Inside the place was pretty clean, and underneath them was an elegant red carpet which went all the way up the stairs ahead to the second floor. To the left there was a path to what must be the dining area, and to the right, a dark brown counter with a flower vase sitting near the center. A comfortable and cozy atmosphere was provided by the orange and yellow fox fires, which drifted around lazily in the area. Following Allen, whose nine tails were swishing around temptingly (yes, because she wanted to touch them), she came over to the counter.

"Lavi!" Allen called, and popping up from below came another fox, this time a normal-looking one, with red fur and two of its black paws clinging onto the surface. Lenalee put a hand to her mouth and stifled a laugh, and reached out her other hand to pet it - it was just so cute, so there was no way she would pass up an opportunity to stroke its soft fur.

Kanda grabbed her hand just before she could touch the animal, and Allen sighed, sounding exhausted. "Lavi, would you please stop enticing our female guests?" He asked, and when she returned her gaze to the fox he had changed into a man - one with straight red hair held up by a green headband and an eyepatch. His uniform seemed to be some sort of western clothing, with black pants and a black shirt covered by another black clothing item. It was a jacket, and on its left breast where a pocket should have been was a strange, silver insignia.

"What are you wearing, Lavi?" Allen raised an eyebrow, and the man put an elbow onto the counter, chin in hand.

"Oh, just something I picked up from another universe," he grinned, and again Allen sighed. "Would you take it off please? You know we're on duty, right?"

"Okay, okay," he said. "Calm down, _moyashi_. You're gonna get wrinkles early like that," he teased, ignoring Allen's protests to the nickname, and changed his clothes with a snap. Now he was *wearing a red kimono underneath a haori of the same color, paired with a white hakama.

He winked at Lenalee. "So, what's your name, beautiful?" He smiled charmingly, and the girl introduced herself. "My name is Lenalee. It's nice to meet you, Lavi-san." He whistled. "My, my, very polite now are we?" He teased, "You can be *familiar with me. Just call me Lavi."

Allen and Kanda both hit him on the head.

"Ow!" He held the spot where he had been hit. "What was that for?"

"For flirting. Again."

"Just give us the key to the damn room already, baka usagi."

He huffed childishly. "Fine," and turned around, taking one of the keys hanging from the board behind him. "Here," he said, and handed it to Allen. "Geez, you guys are way too grumpy."

Allen rolled his eyes and Kanda ignored him, turning to the staircase. Just as they did, a male voice called out to them.

"If it isn't Kanda! What a nice surprise!"

Lenalee looked to her left, and found a man with dark grey skin coming down the steps before them. His eyes were gold and seemed playful, his tone happy and welcoming. "And who is this?" He shifted his gaze to Lenalee as Allen smiled. "I'm here too, Dad!" He joked, and the man ruffled the boy's snow-white hair. "I know, I know," he chuckled, eyes closed. The girl heard Kanda scoff but with a grin on his face, and the aura the man gave off helped her relax a little.

So this is Allen's dad? Well, he seemed like a nice person. What kind of yokai was he, she wondered? Grey skin and gold eyes... She'd never heard of a yokai like that. And Allen was a nine-tailed fox with white hair. His skin was a somewhat pale and creamy white, which contrasted with his father's skin tone. Was he maybe adopted?

"This is Lenalee-san," Allen introduced, and Lenalee snapped out of her thoughts. "I met her this evening. Lenalee-san, this is Mana, my father."

She gave a small wave, still a bit nervous. "Good evening," she greeted, and he greeted her back, before again facing his son. "Earlier this evening, eh?" He teased, a smirk on his lips. "What do you think, Kanda? She a keeper?"

Lenalee blushed a little. "Mana!" Allen scolded, and Lavi supported him. "Yeah! She's not his girlfriend!"

"She's not yours either, Lavi," the boy deadpanned, but was ignored nonetheless.

"Well?" Mana raised an eyebrow.

"Why do you need my opinion on this?" Kanda glared.

"Well, because you're his childhood friend! I'm sure you would know what kind of girl would be best for him." As an afterthought, he added, "Ah, no offense to you, Lenalee-chan."

She shook her head. "It's fine, really. And we aren't dating." She had to stifle a laugh when she saw him deflate and his eyes grow sad and disappointed like a child. "Really?"

"Yes, Dad," Allen sighed fondly.

"Are you sure?" He questioned. "She didn't get the handkerchief or anything?"

_Again with the handkerchief_, Lenalee thought.

"Wait, she did?" Lavi leaned forward from the other side of the counter, fox ears (she only noticed them now as they were smaller than expected,) perked up.

"No," Allen lied. "She didn't."

Mana whined. "Aww. And here I thought that my son was finally going to get married."

Lenalee's cheeks heated up, and so did Allen's. "D-Dad!" He flustered, his blush deepening. He pouted as the man just laughed it off, slinging an arm over his shoulder. "Well, why not? I mean, it's not too early."

"I'm only fifteen!" He nearly shrieked.

"And so, old enough to marry," was the argument. Kanda and Lavi just watched with amusement as they boy's skin colored red, though the former was still glaring and the latter grinning wide. Allen just shook his head, not knowing what to do with his father, who lifted his arm up and off the boy.

After one last chuckle, he clapped his hands together as if to gather everyone's attention. "Well! I know you're busy and all with your possibly-bride-to-be," Allen flustered again, and Lenalee instantly wanted to cover her face with the sleeves of her yukata, "and I would love to stay, but I've got to go. Nice seeing you, Kanda, and it was so good to meet you, Lenalee-chan." He smiled, and began to step back towards the hall to the left. She returned the gesture, and said goodbye. Allen just sighed again in fondness and love, Kanda huffing because finally.

"Well, I guess that's that, moyashi." Lavi joked.

"Hey!"

"Oh, wait." He seemed to remember something, and with a snap of his fingers a cloud of dust poofed over Lenalee, and with surprise in her eyes the glitter and powder faded to nothing.

"Just to keep the others away," he said suggestively, but the look in Allen's eyes said he knew better. Nodding and mumbling a thanks, he led the way upstairs. Kanda just grunted in response and followed.

As for Lenalee, who was still confused somewhat, looked back once and saw Lavi waving good-bye. She waved back at him out of politeness, then promptly headed up the stairs after the two. Lavi was a bit strange, and upon remembering her first encounter with him was grateful that Kanda had stopped her from petting him. It was strange to discover that he was actually a man, so it would have been weirder if she did.

Increasing her pace, she sought to chat with Kanda and caught up to him, walking by his side. "Thanks for that," she smiled, but he didn't reply. "Thank you again for helping me too."

He looked away, annoyed. "I only did it because you were being annoying, and because this idiot needs to explain something to you."

"Hey!" Allen yelled, but not loud enough to disturb anyone else who might be sleeping in the many rooms above. "It's not my fault that handkerchief is cursed," he argued, and Lenalee stopped, one foot on the next step. The two also stopped, waiting for Lenalee.

"Cursed?" She asked worriedly, and Allen nodded. "Sorry," he said. "I'll explain more when we get to the room," and led them upwards.

Finally when they reached the top of the staircase, they moved on through the wide hallway, passing by many closed doors. Every so often there would be a tall desk with a vase of flowers or a picture, but other than that the place was empty except for the three.

Lenalee was a bit nervous, her mind still stuck on the "curse" which Allen had just mentioned. "Is this 'curse' dangerous?" She whispered to Kanda, and he rolled his eyes. "Only if you think _he_ is," he nodded to the fox. She didn't understand what he meant by that, and kept quiet.

Only if she thought Allen was? What did that mean?

She came back out of her thoughts when the two yokai in front of her stopped at the end of the corridor, a red door surrounded by yellow wallpaper being the way to their room. Allen put the key in, turned the knob and opened it, letting the two in and shutting the door after himself.

It was a nice room, really. Comfortable tatami mats covered the floor, and a small wooden table was placed in the middle. To the side was a kitchen, a kettle resting cleanly beside the stove and utensils left out neatly on a napkin beside it. She supposed the plates must be in one of the cabinets below, and turned to Allen. "I'm still surprised that you're actually a nine-tailed fox."

Indeed, she was. It had been on her mind ever since she had discovered his true form in the park earlier that evening, and though she had been focused on other things the thought had lingered in the back of her mind. In fact, she was really surprised that a place like this Yokai Realm even existed, but with her spiritual powers Lenalee wasn't surprised by much anymore.

He smiled weakly. "Yeah..." was all he could say, and he quickly changed topic. He pointed to the left, where a thin paper wall separated this room from the next. "Over there is the bedroom, and the bathroom is over here," he moved his hand, gesturing to a door just beside the kitchen. "You can shower there later, if you like, but for now we have some things to discuss."

"Would that be alright, Lenalee-san?" He asked, waiting for her approval.

"Sure," she said, and moved to sit down at the table. Allen followed suit, but Kanda did not make a move. Instead, he turned back to the exit, as if suddenly remembering what he was doing. "I don't need to be here, so I'm leaving."

Allen nodded, and Lenalee watched as Kanda left. When the door shut with a soft click, the fox demon in front of her released a sigh.

"Sorry about that, Lenalee-san." He apologized. She shook her head. "It's alright. It was nice of him to even help me."

At that, he laughed - why she didn't know - and waved a hand across the table. Then suddenly there appeared two traditional Japanese cups filled with piping hot, fresh tea, and a small bowl made of translucent pink glass formed on the wooden surface. Shortly after a few treats and mochi filled it, and so now the dish contained several colorful and enticing treats.

"Normally he doesn't help anyone, but he can be kind."

"Although only once every millennia," he added as an afterthought, his ticked-off smile returning. But it disappeared nearly as soon as it had formed, and now finished with the preparations he looked up at the girl.

"Now, we have some things to discuss, don't we?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation notes:  
• "Tatsu" is a type of dragon yokai known by several names. It is a water dragon that can change into a human freely. Kanda, specifically, is a Wani. To find out more, search "Tatsu" or "Wani" on Yokai . com (remove the spaces, of course), as that is where I did my research on yokai.
> 
> • Lavi is wearing a traditional Japanese outfit. Hakama are long pants paired with another long jacket of a different color, usually the same shade as the kimono, which is worn underneath the two. If you'd like to know what it looks like, I based it off of this:  
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcQjHqgOVbSPyAm R4vBFO40lzZ49eKIL8a-2IFdjDFYOULW1RDsW


	5. A Nice Chat

She nodded stiffly, suddenly nervous for some reason or other. He nodded back. "Alright, then," he began, "I assume you have a lot of questions, so..." He lifted a hand, and folded his fingers down so that only three were raised.

"Three questions," the fox said.

"I'll let you have three questions, before I explain everything you need to know."

Once more, Lenalee nodded.

"Good." He grabbed a stick of dango from the plate in front of him, then with his mouth full, Allen uttered, "I'll let you-" _chew chew chew,_ "think about-"_ chew chew,_ "what you want to ask."

_Swallow_. "Take your time."

Lenalee giggled at his childish behavior, her tensed form now relaxed. A bit calmer, she put a finger to her lips and let her thoughts wander.

What questions should she ask? There were a great deal of them already running through her mind, but somehow, she didn't think there were many she would need to ask. A lot of them were just out of curiosity. Though she did wonder:

Would she be able to get home? If so, how?

And... what was with the handkerchief?

Surprised by how she had already figured out her three questions, Lenalee had to question why she felt so... relaxed. Even if she had been in so much danger earlier, and likely still was, she wasn't afraid. In fact, she felt more at peace here than in her own world. Why was that?

Looking at Allen, the girl couldn't help but think that maybe...

Just maybe...

"Yes?" He cut in, halting her train of thought.

Lenalee snapped out of it and quickly apologized. "N-nothing! Sorry, I just, um, have my questions now." She said.

Putting down a half-eaten mochi onto his plate, Allen smiled. "Okay. Ask away."

She bobbed her head. "So, um, I was wondering... there is a way for me to get home, right?" Her anxiety began to bubble up again, her feelings constantly on the rise then the fall like the crashing of a tide. Fiddling with her fingers, she looked down at her hands, then back at him again.

His smile softened, as if to reassure her- or apologize? She wasn't sure. The emotions that lay swirling in those silver orbs were so muddled that she couldn't tell them apart. Either way, the look in his eyes made her anxious.

"There is," he whispered, "I promise. But there's a problem..." He looked to the floor, and Lenalee felt her stomach drop.

"Is... is it the demons?" She asked. "The other ones, I mean. Are they-" leaning closer, as if afraid someone might hear, she continued, "-are they going to try and eat me again?" She imagined they would. After all, in this realm it certainly seemed like she was a delicacy. Though, Allen and Kanda hadn't tried to eat her.

Yet.

But imagine her surprise when Allen laughed. Not a rude or loud guffaw, but a soft and quiet chuckle, stemming from the depths of his throat like a growl but blooming forth much gentler, kinder.

She found she quite liked that laugh. But then she realized she was confused and slightly offended by that noise, as Lenalee was trying to be serious here. But no, Allen was laughing for some reason she couldn't comprehend, and as she was about to ask why he was laughing in the first place his chuckling died down and he answered.

"You don't have to worry about that," he smiled, a strange sort of twinkle in his eyes.

What did he mean?

"Well, that's one question." With a clawed hand, he began placing even more delicacies on the plate in front of her. "What's next?"

She raised an eyebrow. "You didn't actually answer my question, though. Ah, Allen, that's enough," she said, moving her hands to receive the dish now filled with an assortment of colorful pastries and snacks. Allen let her have it, and bent back to his original position, picking up another mochi as he did so.

"But I just did," he replied, tilting his head in confusion.

Lenalee knew what he was he doing. Why did he think she would just drop this without the answer, and have wasted a question?

"No, you didn't," she began, "You said I didn't have to worry about the demons - but you never actually said if they would try to eat me or not." And picking up the first thing on her plate - a warm *dorayaki, she continued. "So, will they?" Her eyebrow was still raised in challenge, and Allen sighed, but still with that gentle smile on his face.

"No, they won't." He finally answered, and raised the mochi to his lips. "Now, your next question?"

She crossed her arms. "You didn't tell me why."

Allen smiled, closing his eyes, "You didn't ask why," and popped the rice cake into his mouth.

She made a soft _hmph_ \- but knew he was right, and let a comfortable silence fall between them as she began to think again.

Earlier, Allen mentioned that there was a problem. The way he said it, it seemed like it was nothing. Just a small little thing that wouldn't be too hard to solve. But still, a sense of foreboding was breeding in her, and the girl wondered if she should really be worried. She could always ask, but then she would be using up her second question.

Deciding it wasn't worth it, and that she'd eventually find out anyway, Lenalee waved it off as nothing. Instead of fretting over something that most likely wasn't a big deal, she chose to trust Allen, and began to rethink her second question.

Originally, her next question was going to be how she would get home, but... assuming how Allen did say he would explain everything she needed to know, Lenalee guessed that the answer would be included.

But what if it wasn't? Would it end up being a dangerous task? Well, not like this whole situation wasn't dangerous enough already, what with the numerous yokai prowling around. But still, there was probably more to it than just that.

Taking a bite out of the warm bun in her hand, she guessed it might be better to, for her safety. But even if she did, what would it do? Most likely the end result would still be the same, right?

So instead of _how_ she was going to get back, she might as well ask _when_. If she was going to be stuck here, Lenalee would like to know how long she'd be gone, at the very least. Not that she didn't like this world - it's just that, well, like Kanda said - she didn't belong here.

Choosing her words with care, she swallowed and asked the fox demon her next query.

"How long will I be gone?"

Then she quickly added, "from the, uh, Human Realm, as you call it?" and took another bite from the fluffy pastry. She waited for a reply, but Allen simply crossed his arms, shut his eyes, and hummed. She assumed he was thinking, but the fact that he wasn't sure made her worry a little - or at least it would've, if not for the way his ears lay themselves flat against his head. His tails too were swishing around in aimless motion, perhaps nervously?

It was cute.

Not taking her eyes off of the strange boy, Lenalee took another bite from her treat as Allen hummed some more, becoming deeper engrossed in thought.

"Allen-san?" She called, and he jolted upright, as if suddenly woken up from a good nap. She couldn't hold back the slight giggle that bubbled up in her throat.

"Sorry," he apologized. "I tend to get absorbed in my thoughts sometimes." Something they both had in common.

She giggled again.

"Anyway," he changed the subject, "as for your question, I think the least would be around a week," he said, "but it's possible that it could extend to even a month or two."

"Well, in your time, that is," he added, and Lenalee furrowed her brows.

"What do you-" mean? She was about to ask, but quickly stopped herself, realizing she was about to use up her last question.

She wasn't stupid. What Allen just did - he had set up a trap. A leading sentence to make her ask away the query.

But why?

Narrowing her eyes, her trust in the fox slightly waned. Allen frowned, and his ears drooped.

"Sorry," he apologized again, knowing she must have caught on. "I didn't mean to try and trick you like that," he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. Before Lenalee could say anything, he continued, "There's just something I'm afraid you'll ask," he said, "we all have our secrets," and shrugged.

Lenalee's glare softened, and she smiled again. "It's... it's okay," she told him. "I think I get what you mean."

_A scream._

_Broken glass._

_Blood._

No, don't think of those things! They're long over, and shouldn't bother her anymore. Shaking her head, Lenalee pushed the thoughts away.

"Well," she focused on what was happening right here, right now. "You can always not answer if you really don't want to." She said. "But if you do, I get to ask another question."

She took the last bit of her dorayaki and ate it. "Deal?"

Allen smiled. "Deal."

"Now for your last question?"

Lenalee already knew what she was going to ask. She had known from the start, and wasn't about to change it. "For my last question, I want to know, Allen, because it involves me, and I don't think it's something that private," seeing as how everyone around him seemed to know, she asked, "What is that 'curse' you mentioned, the one on your handkerchief?"

Kanda said it was only dangerous if Allen was. But Allen was not dangerous. Or at least, he seemed not to be. And that's the thing. If he wasn't dangerous, the curse wasn't, right? So she had no reason to fear.

But then on Allen's pale, creamy white skin, a fierce red blush burst forth and quickly conquered his entire face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *dorayaki - a type of Japanese confection, a red-bean pancake which consists of two small pancake-like patties made from castella wrapped around a filling of sweet azuki bean paste. (Taken from wikipedia)


	6. Problems

"A-Allen?" She asked, surprised and worried for him. Why was he blushing? Was the question that embarrassing? "Y- you don't have to answer if you don't want to, like I said," she reminded him.

He seemed to snap out of his shock then, but still couldn't calm the redness flaming his cheeks and ears. "No, no. It's alright. It involves you, so I might as well." He mumbled something else she couldn't hear, but Lenalee thanked him anyway.

"So, um..." he started, choosing to look at anywhere but her, "I don't want you to be offended, or assume you have to, okay? J-Just," his tails were swishing around anxiously again, something she noticed he did when he was particularly nervous, "um, how do I put it..." with one hand he began to pull his fingers, first his thumb, then his index, the middle. "It's just, um... don't, don't assume it'll actually happen..." his tails began swishing with more force. "Or that you have to, obviously you you're own person so you can choose for yourself, you don't have to let this dictate your fate."

"I don't understand," she said. "What do you mean?"

Allen visibly gulped, and Lenalee braced herself. He took a deep breath.

"It's-"

"_Allen_." The door suddenly opened, and Lenalee immediately whipped her head around - to find Lavi in the doorway, a grave expression on his face.

"We've got a problem," he said.

As if knowing what was wrong, as if he was expecting it, even, Allen quickly stood up and followed the *kitsune out the door calmly, his red cheeks beginning to pale. Lenalee stood up in worry, and she too exited the room.

Briskly the two made their way through the corridor and halls, and down the stairs as they rushed to who knows where. Struggling to keep up with the surprising speed of her acquaintances, the girl too sped down the stairs with haste.

Huffing and puffing a great ordeal, she fought to catch her breath as the three made their way to the lower floors. "What's..." huff, "going..." huff, "on...?" She asked, chest heaving. The two didn't pause in their strides nor did they slow down, as if having not heard her. Too focused on the situation on hand, she guessed - whatever it was - and it was important.

Finally on the ground floor again, Lavi and Allen led the way side by side and opened the huge double doors with ease. Their strength and speed, once again, astounded Lenalee - though she supposed it made sense. They were demons, after all.

Following them out into the large opening by the entrance, she continued to try and keep up as they both sharply turned around and circled to the other side of the tall building.

Where could they be going? Was there something behind this tower? Lenalee couldn't help but knit her brows in confusion. What could be there that was so important?

As the made their way round the curve, Allen began to speak.

"How long have they been there?" He asked, tails flowing back slightly against the light wind, fur ruffling. Lavi answered. "Not sure. I found them just a bit after you and Lenalee left for the room."

"How many?"

"Five, from what I could tell. But there may be more underneath the soil. Probably at least twenty or so."

"_Twenty?_"

He didn't sound surprised - rather, he appeared even more worried.

"Lavi, are you sure?" From behind, Lenalee watched Allen turn to look at his companion, eyebrows raised.

"Yeah. Sniffed 'em out and estimated just about - though I could be wrong," he replied, and continued to move forward. Allen followed suit, and soon the two slowed down.

Lenalee did too, and took in a sharp but quiet breath when she saw what lay before them.

As if on cue, the wind picked up and a strong breeze blew from behind her, causing a flurry of petals to be lifted and dance in the night sky. Vivid and bright shades of deep red, yellowing orange, pale blue and a many more miriad of colors twirled and swirled, and the girl couldn't help but gasp at their beauty.

"A garden," she whispered, softer than the wind that blew. "It's beautiful."

Both the fox demons turned, and smiled. "Yes, I think so too," Allen said softly. Lavi scoffed, but not in a teasing or insulting way.

"Who wouldn't?" He proudly questioned. "I take special care of her," he said.

"Her?" Allen smiled, a little teasingly, "You're still going on about that?"

"Well, yeah! I mean..." he paused, gazing at the garden before him.

"She's special to me."

Allen looked from him to the garden, the two sharing a knowing look between each other. Lenalee wasn't sure what it meant - but something in the way they stared at the scene hinted at a feeling of...

_Loss_, she came to realize.

Her heart stung with the feeling of knowing what that was like, and it went out to them.

"Lavi-"

"Well, back to the situation on hand," Lavi changed topic, cutting the girl off. His face once again grew serious, as did Allen's. Looking to Allen, he asked, "Do I remove them?" Then to Lenalee, "I might need your help with that, by the way."

Lenalee cocked her head to the side. "What are we removing, exactly?" She turned to Allen for answers, and he did not disappoint.

"Seeds," he told her.

"But not just any seeds," and facing Lavi he replied, "and no, not yet. We have to consult Mana about this first," to which the kitsune nodded. "Why don't you start first by marking the flowers?" He suggested, "that was we know which have and which don't."

Again, he nodded.

"Okay, good." He replied, then turning to Lenalee, "Lavi will explain everything, so would you mind helping out for a bit?" He asked. "Sorry to ask this of you, but it's a little complicated..." he trailed off, not knowing what else to say.

The girl nodded enthusiastically. "Sure!" She told him, "it's the least I could do for you, since you're helping me so much already."

"Thanks, Lenalee-san. I'll get going now." And with that, he left to fetch Mana.

"Alright, with that settled," Lavi bowed dramatically, the corners of his mouth tilted upwards. "Shall we go?"

Lenalee giggled at his antics, "Okay," she said, a little unsurely. Lavi straightened, and led her closer to the flower beds.

"So..." she started, attempting to make conversation, "what are we doing again?"

Lavi looked down at her. "Removing seeds," he answered.

"Oh." She sounded a little disappointed. Holding back a grin, Lavi continued, "but like moyashi said, they're not ordinary." A frown made its way onto his face, and he began to explain.

"These seeds aren't your average, everyday kind. Like many things in this realm, they contain magic."

"Magic?"

"Yeah. Well, for this - it's more like a sort of curse." He corrected himself. Lenalee stayed silent, egging him on.

"They're called the Jikan no me," he said.

"The eyes of time," Lenalee repeated. "But why?"

They arrived at the front of the flower bed, filled with many different species of flowers with all sorts of stems and petals and leaves. Many were grouped into the same type, but other areas were just a mixture of whatever there was. Lavi bent down to begin his task, and though not sure what to do, Lenalee followed.

"That's because these seeds, first of all, look like eyes."

The fox didn't make a move to 'mark the flowers' as Allen had instructed, and so the girl didn't, either. She waited patiently for instruction, afraid she would make things worse if she did something.

"Second," he continued, "they can be used in a recipe for a drink - one that can tell the future."

Lenalee's eyes widened. "That's... that's amazing." She answered. He chuckled at her reaction, but not very heartily. "Yeah, I guess so."

She was puzzled a little at his reaction, but supposing it was nothing, she didn't add to it. Instead she asked, "There's more to it than that, isn't there?"

"Yeah," he replied, "one more thing," and extending a sharp but short nail he touched the petals of a pure black flower. Lenalee watched in fascination, her eyes drawn to the contrast between his bright skin and the dark plant.

Taking his hand back, and now staring at the many flowers to the side, he elaborated. "The seeds are an omen, more than anything."

"But... I thought they were a curse?" The girl asked.

"Yup," he said, turning to face her once more. "That's where the omen part comes in."

Before she could inquire anything more, he explained further. "You know how the *tsujiura senbei or *omikuji give you random fortunes? They can be either good or bad, but have about an equal possibility of getting one or the other, right?"

The girl nodded. "I guess so," she said, putting a finger to her chin. Shortly after she removed it. "Are they like that?"

"Sort of," he answered. "Except getting a good fortune rarely happens, and the chances of getting a terrible fortune are almost guaranteed."

"Oh." She said, understanding dawning on her. She frowned. "By 'terrible fortune'," she began, worried, "how terrible do you mean?"

She didn't get a response from the man. In that moment, he seemed to be so far away. His eyes were blocked by the way he bent his head just ever so slightly to the ground, and from Lenalee's crouched position they were only visible from just the corners of his eyes, where the top and bottom lids met.

For a moment, she wondered if this had to do with that sense of loss she felt from him.

"Lavi, are you alright?" She asked, waiting with bated breath for an answer.

But as if nothing happened, he raised his head. "No, I'm alright," he said, a small smile on his face. "As for your question, I think you'd rather not know," he told her, and continued to explain.

"The seeds choose to grow in any place of their liking - meaning they can pop up anywhere. They attach themselves to the roots of a plant, and take some of the nutrients from it. It doesn't kill its host, but you wouldn't know it's there unless you either had good nose like me," he tapped his nose, "or you found it by accident. And if you don't do anything about them, you won't be able to avoid whatever disaster that comes."

Lenalee listened intently, determined to help.

"But then," she wondered, "why can't you just remove them?"

Lavi shook his head. "That's why we need your help," he said. "Their skin is poisonous."

"They're_ poisonous?"_ She gaped at the fox demon, who didn't look worried at all.

"Yeah, they're poisonous alright - to demons, that is." He grinned.

"But thankfully, we have someone who isn't a demon," turning to Lenalee, he pointed a finger at her chest. "You."

"M-me?" She asked stupidly, still a bit in shock.

"Yup!" He smiled. "You're the only one who can take these out safely."

"But then," the girl started, "why did Allen want to get Mana?" She inquired.

"Ah, that."

"The disasters can be anything - from businesses falling apart to realm-shattering quakes, which is why these seeds are so dangerous." He said, "Wherever they pop up, disaster seems to follow. So a lot of demons believe they are both an omen and curse."

Lenalee raised an eyebrow. "What does that have to do with Mana? Is he able to foresee the future or something?" She asked, and was unprepared to see the surprise on Lavi's face.

"Actually," he stated, "he can."

"How did you figure that out?" He wondered aloud, and Lenalee shrugged. "Lucky guess?" She suggested, but something told her he thought it was more than that.

"I-It's nothing, really! I just had a thought," she told him, becoming slightly nervous under his gaze. He hummed.

The human girl waited, unsure of why he was so suspicious.

"You have spiritual powers, right?" He inquired, and Lenalee nodded. "Y-Yes," she said, a little too quickly. "I-I think so. Why?"

Again he hummed, but shortly after turned away. "It's nothing. Just a thought."

"Now, let's get to marking these flowers, shall we?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *kitsune - fox
> 
> *tsujiura senbei - originating in Kyoto, the Japanese fortune cookies
> 
> *omikuji - paper fortunes mainly found at shrines/temples


	7. The Eyes of Time

Shortly after Lavi and Lenalee had finished, the sound of the large tower doors opening echoed through the gardens. Standing, Lenalee turned around and watched Allen stroll towards her, with Mana in tow.

She bowed to the elder. "Good evening, Mana-san," she greeted.

He smiled, and politely greeted back. "Good evening, Miss Lenalee. I see you've just finished marking the flowers there," he bowed gratefully. "Thank you for agreeing to do this," he said.

The girl shook her head, "No, no, it's not a problem! Lavi-san did all of the work anyway," she confessed, and looked back at the garden.

Each flower that contained the ominous seeds was marked with a round, translucent pebble by their sides. Lavi had summoned them with a snap of his fingers, and a twirl of his hand sent all of them to their destinations. All in all, it had taken a mere five seconds, earning the girl's admiration and new-found wish to learn magic, if she could.

Mana laughed. And when his chuckles died down, he argued, "Still, we should be thanking you. You're a guest here, and though you shouldn't be doing work at all, here you are," which caused Lenalee's eyes to widen in surprise.

At her expression, Mana raised an eyebrow. The demon looked to Allen for some reason, as if to ask a question, and the boy shrugged with a nervous smile on his face. Then he laughed again.

"Allen hasn't told you then," he shifted his gaze back to her. Before she could ask what, Mana continued, "Well, this is an inn."

"And, though temporary, you are staying here until we can get you back home safely." He said. "Allen's explained to me the details already, but whether human or not, if you are staying here at the Yozakura inn, then you are, without a doubt," he winked, "a guest."

"Oh," she said, unsure of what to make of this new information - but it made sense. If this was an inn, then she was a guest? Possibly? Although, truth be told, Lenalee felt more like a nuisance and intruder. "Um, thank you," she repeated anyway.

Mana grinned, and sharply elbowed Allen - who promptly responded with an _oof_, before answering. "N-No problem," he smiled, though it looked a little pained.

Again, he was elbowed in the side. The boy yelped, and rubbed his stomach. "Ow! _What was that for?_" He whispered harshly, turning to the other with a half-hearted glare. The man nudged his head in Lenalee's direction. Allen rolled his eyes, sticking his tongue out at him childishly.

With a huff, he turned to the kitsune as Lenalee struggled to hold in her laughter.

Moving on, he asked Lavi, "All the flowers are marked?"

"Yeah." He answered, "Pebbles mark the left side of each flower."

"Good." Facing the flowers, Allen took a deep breath. Slowly, he raised his arms.

As he did so, the soil and the flowers began to tremble violently, as if being pulled upwards by some unknown force. Then - much to Lenalee's shock - they were. She gasped, and marveled at the plants floating mid-air, surrounded by soil with not a single grain out of place. The exposed roots now revealed seeds that were attached to them.

The fox turned to the awe-struck girl, and called her attention. "Lenalee-san," he asked, "Could you remove the seeds now? I would if could, but... for some reason magic doesn't work on them," he explained.

Lenalee jumped out of her reverie. "Oh! O-of course," she blushed, a little embarrassed at her own behavior. Moving towards the airborne seeds, fascination and curiosity filled her dark amethyst eyes as she reached out to take a hold of the one. With a snap, as if taken from a branch, the seed came off.

She turned it over between her thumb and index fingers, taking in its simple appearance.

Belatedly, she realized that Lavi was correct. The small kernel in her grasp did, in fact, look like an eye. With a solid cream color for the main of its body, in the middle lay another almond shape, sharp at both ends. Its pigment, contrasting against that of the outer seed - was blood red.

_How ominous_, she thought, and reached up to grab another one.

"Oh, wait!" Allen suddenly burst out, jerking his wrist. Lenalee heard a soft rustle of the grass beside her. She looked, and found a small cup on the ground.

Then, as if with magic (no wait, that _was_ magic, she reminded herself) - the cup began to float up into the air too. She looked to Allen, and he smiled. "For the seeds," he said.

She smiled back. "Thanks," and with that, dropped the two kernels into the dish. Moving on, she continued to pluck the seeds from the roots suspended mid-air, dropping each one with a _plink_ or a _plunk_ in the cup as she did. With each step she took the dish followed, waiting for the objects to fall faithfully, until none were left hanging from the stems.

Stepping away from the soil, her eyes glossed over the tips of the roots once more before saying, "I think that's everything, Allen-san," feeling accomplished with her work.

The white fox then gently let the flowers down, and, as if they had never been removed in the first place, settled back neatly into their spaces on the ground. Afterwards, he turned to Lavi.

"May I?" He asked.

Lavi gestured towards the flowers, palm open. "Go ahead," he replied.

Allen smiled, and thanked him. Bending down, he reached for the flower in front of him, and pulled it from the earth as Lenalee watched curiously. Then, softly, he brought it close to his lips, and blew.

Warmth filled the air as he blew, and when Lenalee looked again, she found that his lips were moving now. Mumbling something. A spell, perhaps? What was it, she wondered?

Her thoughts were interrupted as Allen approached her, flower in hand.

"Pretty, isn't it?" He presented it to her. She nodded.

A pure, unblemished black, the plant held five wide, silky, heart-shaped petals that overlapped one another, and formed the shape of a small bowl. Gray veins ran within each one of them, and at the center of the flower, tendrils held pollen at their tips.

"This is called the *Yoru Hana," He told her. "It only grows here in our realm, and has a special meaning." Lifting it up, he moved closer to the girl. Lenalee felt her breath catch at his sudden proximity.

As he brushed her hair behind her ear, Allen asked her, "Do you know the meaning of the cherry blossoms?"

Unable to speak, for fear that she might stumble across her words, the girl simply shook her head.

"Well," Lenalee felt something get pushed into the crook between the tip of her ear and her face, both of which were now slightly pink.

"The sakura," he explained, "which grow in the mortal realm, symbolize life's ephemerality." Letting his hand fall to his side, Allen didn't pull back. Instead, he chose to gaze at the flower now perched in her hair. "This Night Flower, also called the *Yozakura and Kokuō, is actually the sister of the cherry blossom," he told her.

The girl swallowed, suddenly finding words. "R-Really? They don't look alike," she said, "and this grows on the ground. How could they be sisters?"

Allen pulled back, smiling at her. It was only a short moment, but the girl could still feel the slight burn in her cheeks, and the flower resting in her hair felt heavier than it should have. Embarrassed, she averted her gaze to the ground.

"There's a legend for that, actually." He looked to Mana, who nodded. The fox turned back to the girl. "But let's discuss that another time," he said.

Just then, Lavi began to move from his spot, making way back to the inn. Allen took that as their cue to leave, and held his hand out to the girl. "It is getting late, so why don't we head back inside so you can rest?" He added, "Besides, Mana needs some time alone to do his thing."

Lenalee put her soft hand in his own warm one, unafraid of the claws that were his nails.

"Of course."

* * *

The hall leading to her room felt larger than it should have. Lenalee wasn't sure why, but maybe it was because Allen and herself were the only ones there. Through the silence, the only sound she could hear was the faint patting of their feet on the rug beneath them, but soon even that stopped as they arrived - giving way to a breathless quiet.

Allen paused in front of the door. Like a gentleman, he opened it for Lenalee, and the girl stepped inside - but then paused, instead turning around to face her companion.

"Um..." Nervous, Lenalee put a strand of hair behind her ear, feeling the stem of the Yozakura brush her finger. As if giving her courage, she suddenly remembered what she wanted to say.

"Thank you, Allen," she whispered, softer than the wind.

Clearly Allen heard it nonetheless, as he replied, "Of course."

"It's no problem at all."

Silence filled the air once more between them. Neither made a move to leave, both still holding things in their hearts to say.

Lenalee had no idea what she was she was stopping him. There were so many questions in her mind and her heart seemed unable to rest; something was pulling at the back of her thoughts, but she didn't know what it was. It was there, just on the tip of her tongue, but it refused to escape her throat, as if locked away.

_Say something. Anything_, she told herself, and opened her mouth-

"Well, I'll be going now," Allen spoke, successfully cutting off the girl, as well as her courage. "You must be tired, so I'll let you sleep."

He bid her good-night, and turned to leave.

She watched him take one step, then two.

Three, four.

"Wait!" Lenalee burst out, and covered her mouth quickly afterwards. Allen stopped, and faced her once more. "Yes?"

Taking a quick breath to summon her bravery again, she asked, "I-If, if it's alright," she cleared her throat, "could we, um, talk?"

"I mean, chat! Sorry. I just," behind her back, the girl anxiously played with the cloth of her yukata, "I'd like to talk with you a bit more," she stated, bit her lip, released it. Then added, "Only if you're not busy, of course."

She flushed red, awkwardly ashamed by the way she was acting so unsettled. Oh, why was she like this? She mentally berated herself.

Despite her blunders though, Allen did not laugh. Nor did he scowl or frown, the exact opposite of those spreading across his features. Relief filled his eyes, gladness stretched his lips, and when Lenalee saw this she found her heart skip, then finally, beat softly at a calm pace.

"I..." he began, looking quickly to the floor, then back up.

"That would be great," he said.

Lenalee smiled, eyes holding warmth. Together, the two entered the little room, and talked the night away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes:
> 
> *Yoru hana - night flower
> 
> *Yozakura - night sakura
> 
> *Kokuō - black sakura


End file.
